Most liberal, progressives, and social democrats hold up the Scandinavian countries as their models. But are these really the paradises their admirers make them out to be? Tom Woods and his various guests in these podcasts think not. In these systems, not only do ordinary folks pay income taxes as high as 80% but the state tries to regulate individual behavior for the sake of reducing welfare costs (for example, Norway banned e-cigarettes and has levied high excise taxes on sugary beverages on the Bloombergian model). The economic rules are rigged in a favor of large, nationalized or state-connected businesses and against small entrepreneurs as well.